Malis

Malis was a region of ancient Greece which was nicknamed the "Wild Lands of the North". The region was named for the Malian tribe, for whom the Malian Gulf is named, and it was inhabited by wild animals, hunters, and outlaws. In 480 BC, the Spartan king Leonidas I and his Greek army made their last stand against the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae, and the legendary battlefield of Thermopylae was located in Malis. In 189 BC, the Malians joined the Thessalians, ending the independence of Malis.